Soulbound
by BlackDeviouseRose
Summary: No one ever said magic would be easy – especially not for a young wizard with not enough time on her hands and a penchant for causing trouble. Oh, and has she mentioned her previous life yet? Maybe Lucy won't be so lonely…this time around. Semi-realistic SI/OC, Major spoilers ahead.
1. Prologue

I noticed there's not a lot of Fairy Tail SI's, which I'm quite interested in at the moment. I'm currently writing other SI fics beside this, so I'll try to pay equal attention to each of them.

Also a note for all future chapters!

I deeply enjoy writing hella long Authors Notes at the beginning and ending of the chapter, where I will leave hints about future chapters and respond to reviews that I feel all of my readers should know the answer to.

Also, don't be surprised if I don't update for weeks at a time – I only update a story when I'm feeling passionate about it. Otherwise the story and the experience of it will be all around horrible for all of us haha…

I also have a warning for everyone who reads this story! There **will** be major spoilers up to the current point of the manga – even _this_ chapter is going to have some pretty heavy spoilers. _**Do Not**_ read this story if you're not caught up with the manga, _you have been warned and any and all spoilers you might suffer is not my fault._

Anyway, onto the story! Sorry for any and all mistakes, I don't have a beta so yeah…

Disclaimer: I only own any and all OC's, the rest of it is Hiro Mashima's~

 _ **Chapter 1: Prologue**_

 _The first time I became aware of my surroundings I was 2 years old. It was a sunny day, and I had been happily sitting on my mother's lap cooing at a doll she'd held playfully before me. There wasn't anything that triggered it, not really, but one moment I had been laughing and clapping my hands and the next-_

 _I woke up._

 _I don't remember much after that, but apparently I had fallen unconscious. My parents had rushed me to a nearby doctor, where I had slipped into a coma for a week._

 _That…that's something I do remember. Vividly._

 _Reliving my life, my death, over and over, a loop of never ending agony and hopelessness caught on repeat. Stuck in the stars, blackness on all sides, I had cried and screamed until I was nothing. I was remade and molded to fit into a body not my own, forced to leave the black empty space of nothingness behind until-_

 _Again, it repeats._

o.O.o

"Lucy, where did you go?" a young voice calls out fearfully.

…

"Please…please don't leave me!"

…

"I don't want to be alone!"

…

"Lucy!"

…

"Don't leave me…"

…

"Lucy..!"

…

"Lucy…"

…

"Yuta, what's wrong?"

Tearfully, the young girl whirled towards the voice, snot and tears dribbling down her face in a messy stream. Seeing the owner, she lets out a choked sob and begins to run towards them, tripping and stumbling the entire way.

"Lucy..!"

"Yuta, what happened?" Lucy asks her worriedly, small hands clutching her shoulders and holding her close.

"I-I don't want to be alone…" she whimpers, more tears escaping her eyes.

"It's okay…

 _You're not alone-"_

o.O.o

Magic.

Magic was an amazing thing. It was beautiful, full of joy and light, and it called to her so strongly and hauntingly that it physically hurt. She could taste it everywhere, the air, the Earth, the animals, the people – it felt so powerful and tangible, always heavy and always there, like she could just reach out and grab it. Disjointed memories connect in a confusing array of sounds and visions, and she knows distantly that… _before_ magic doesn't-didn't exist. _Before_ what, she isn't quite sure, but it comes to her in dreams and lost memories one day at a time. One day she will know for sure.

Looking up in awe at the blue-haired spirit, she couldn't help but feel slightly thunderstruck.

"Wow…" she hears her sister mutter beside her, and she nods her head mutely.

"This," her mother says, and she leans in closely to listen, "is Aquarius, one of my Celestial Spirits."

The name sparks a memory, blue-hair and blue-eyes, a broken-broken key-

" _Thank you for everything."_

And then it's gone and a beautiful mermaid is staring down on her with hard eyes.

"A mermaid," Lucy squeals happily, awe and admiration in her eyes.

"Aquarius here is not a normal Celestial Spirit – she's different in many ways," her mother smiles warmly down on them, and she moves to kneel before them, unworried of ruining the beautiful dress she wears.

"Can either of you tell me why?" She asks, and Lucy immediately sits at attention, raising her hand high.

"She's one of the Golden Keys of the Zodiac! There are only twelve of them in the whole world."

"That's right!" Mother says proudly, and gives Lucy's head a fond rub. She feels jealousy bubble hotly in her stomach. Something tells her she's wrong to feel like this.

More and more Lucy rattles off answers about how the Golden Keys are different from normal Silver Keys. Mother listens patiently and nods at each one, and Aquarius watches them with cold eyes.

"Tch" she says, turning away from them, "is that all?"

"Yes, thank you Aquarius," mom says warmly, and Aquarius turns her head away from them but doesn't leave.

"Well then girls, do you have any questions?"

" _You're not lonely anymore, are you…Lucy?"_

Lucy immediately begins to rattle off a number of questions, all of which are answered patiently and diligently. The other girl says nothing and only listens despondently to what her mother says. All the while Aquarius watches her.

Nearly 20 minutes later they are dismissed to go play, and Lucy seems heavily reluctant to leave the beautiful mermaid behind.

As they are leaving, Lucy pulling ahead of her, she swears she can hear Aquarius say-

o.O.o

" _That child…she is touched by death."_

o.O.o

Her second birthday comes and go's and then-

She remembers.

o.O.o

"Again?" Lucy asks, eyes trained on the visage before her.

"…yes."

Lucy sighs and skips up to crouch beside her to stare down at what the other girl is so intent upon.

Animals, she found, were strangely attached to her. They connected to her as easily as if they themselves were humans and she tended to get along with them better than with people. Dogs, cats, fishes, birds, deer's, horses – all manner of animals enjoy gathering around her. She loves and cherishes each one of them from the moment they step into her life to the moment they leave. Mother says that she is special to them, that there is something about her that draws them in. She says it's probably her magic.

Even among all of the animals that will gather by her side, there are certain animals that are drawn to her more than most. These animals are everywhere she goes, always watching and waiting, and she can't remember a time when couldn't see them from the corner of her eye. Ravens and crows and-

The symbolism is not lost on her.

It's been a month since she's woken up. A month of feverish dreams and long gone memories, of finding herself and learning to move on. She isn't quite there yet, probably never will be, but she feels like she's slowly getting better with each passing day. In the beginning it was hard, remembering her family and friends and everyone she loves and having to cope with the fact that they are gone and she will never see them again. She could barely pull herself out of bed for weeks on end and the shadows in her parents eyes grew longer and darker with each passing day. She knows they love her, or at least the person that she was, and she knows that being stuck on the past won't change anything. She knows their loss is something she will never be able to get through, but for now she can at least…live. Survive.

Finding where she was reborn was more than just a shock. It had completely floored her. An anime – a manga.

Really, she tries not to think too hard on the logic that _that_ makes and likes to pretend that the memories she holds are just her imagination. Maybe then she can retain what little sanity she has.

Honestly, she feels a bit overwhelmed.

Of course, that 'shock' was nothing compared to finding that she was reborn into _the Heartfilia family._ She is thankful, in her own way, that she was born into such a tame household in comparison to many of the other characters, but that doesn't mean that she will have an easy time of it. Being reborn into one of the most, if not the most, important characters families, and thus becoming an _extremely_ influential player herself, is a problem all in itself. Thinking back on the series she can honestly say that Lucy is one of the most important parts of the manga. Without Lucy, Team Natsu would have probably never _come to be_ and many, _many_ important key roles of the story itself would change. She couldn't think of an arc where Lucy didn't play an instrumental role, and the mere thought of changing that terrifies her.

But, more than anything was the mere fact that _she isn't supposed to exist._ She can't even begin to fathom the changes her mere existence has caused, and she can't help but frantically wonder what caused her parent's to want another child. In the original timeline Lucy was an only child, which begs the question; _what changed?_ Her parents wouldn't have tried to have another child without outside help – the manga is proof of that. Without any persuasion, the story should have continued on its track unhindered, unchanged. Someone was interfering. This couldn't have been mere chance. Not with the memories she has of her previous life.

Or, you know, she's just being overly paranoid.

(She somehow doubts that.)

"What's his name?" Lucy asks, bringing her mind back on track from her panicked thoughts.

"It's a girl," she replies, eyes turning downward and hand stroking the small animal's fur, soothing it "and her name is Rina."

Each animal that she meets is different and unique in their own ways. Each has habits and traits that no other animal has, and she loves and adores each of them dearly and equally. And although each one is different, and each one is unique, all of them have one certain similarity in which they are no different. Each and every animal comes to her before they die.

 _Right_ before they die.

The first time it happened, she was scared. Terrified. She didn't understand what was happening, could barely understand the images in her head, and watching an animal that she had come to adore die before her eyes was a traumatic experience. She had never looked at life the same again. She had never seen the world the same again. And so, she says-

"Lucy, go inside."

"But-" She cuts her off with a glare.

"No, this isn't something you need to see."

"You never let me stay…" Lucy grumbles, but complies anyway and heads inside after giving her a one-sided hug.

Lucy knows that this is important to her, as young as she is, and never puts up much of a fight each time it happens. Out of the corner of her eye a crow takes flight.

"Hello Rina," she whispers to the small bunny, and continues her soothing strokes.

Rina twitches but otherwise does nothing, small form shuddering from the weight of disease. She had first met Rina a few weeks back, while she was playing in the gardens, and like she does with all animals she had fallen instantly in love. It pains her to see the bunny in so much pain, but she has come to accept that death was an inevitable path for all creatures.

And so, time passes like this with her huddled near the furry animal, petting and crooning it, until finally it whimpers its last breath and falls silent. She lifts her head, tears falling from her eyes, and looks towards the raven that was always there.

And, like each time before, the raven takes flight towards her. It lands with barely a thud and spends a moment before the body, beak nudging it softly, silence resounding in the yard, and she can feel her heart thudding harshly – as if to make up for the dead animals lack of beats – and then-

It leaves.

And, like each time before, she curls the body into her hands and sets to work laying it to rest.

She can see a crow out of the corner of her eye.

o.O.o

Heartfilia women all tend to look similar to each other. This was a fact of life. All of them – Anna and Layla and Lucy, each of them almost identical to one another – could easily be mistaken for twins. And yet, somehow, this rule did not apply to Yuta.

With dark blonde hair, slim features, and pale skin there was no doubt of her lineage. It was obvious to any who cared to look who her parents were, and yet she did not hold the eerie similarities to Layla that Lucy did. In place of warm brown eyes were an icy blue that she gained from neither her parents, nor her grandparents. What was really striking about them, however, was the fact that the pupils were formed into long, sharp slits – almost exactly like a cat. Her parents and the maids never commented on this, and it often slipped her mind that things that may seem strange to her are considered normal here. She also had elongated canines reminiscent of fangs.

Sitting before the large, full length mirror in her room, she let her fingers rest under her eye, simply staring. She's not quite used to the reflection staring back; some part of her will always expect to see long black hair and dark brown eyes set on a narrow, pointy face. She…misses her world.

This one was so strange and different, magic having warped the evolution of people and technology. Something as simple as a camera does not exist, and yet something as complex as a computer _does,_ the culture and people all set in some parody of a Japanese setting, and yet it was also so.. _._ was so _off_ and she wasn't sure she would ever get used to it. English and family and culture…

It was just…all gone.

She's trying her best to live on, to move past this and survive, but it was just so hard. Without Lucy, she wasn't sure if she could.

Lucy made every day so much brighter, with her happy face and passionate personality. Even if it was annoying that she liked to put her status as 'older sister' out there a little too often.

She loved all of her family – although it was hard to get along with Layla when she knows what will happen to her in the future. While she didn't know _when_ exactly it will happen, there wasn't anything she could do to stop Layla from opening the Eclipse Gate – that would do more harm than good. She felt rotten, making decisions like this, but there really wasn't anything she could do at 3 years old.

And then there was Jude, whom she had a very hard time getting along with. Because Layla was still alive he was much kinder than she had been expecting, but his penchant for money and wealth was still there – and knowing what he will do to Lucy, to Fairy Tail, in the future made it hard. She wasn't sure how to act around him.

More than once she found herself wondering if she should simply run away. This wasn't truly her home, despite everything, and some part of her deep down wants nothing more than to stay out of the action. Running away would be so simple. She could live in some far off town where no one could find her; she knew that everything would turn out fine without her but…she wasn't sure how her leaving would affect Lucy down the road. Maybe it would convince Lucy not to run away, or maybe it would change her decision on joining Fairy Tail. The chances were just too…

That left her with only one option.

Learn magic.

Get as strong as possible

o.O.o

Okay, so that was easier said than done.

Magic was _hard._

Like, _really_ hard. The anime always made it look so easy!

Granted, she was 3 years old, but this was a bit ridiculous. She had the mentality of a 45 year old after all, and that's not counting however many years her soul had been stuck in the darkness of death, and casting magic was really just that – having a strong mental fortitude and a clear mind. She's been training her body tirelessly, but even that seems to be getting her nowhere.

Her sudden need to learn magic seems to have inspired Lucy, and she can't really see anything wrong with that. Learning magic a bit earlier than she might have in the original timeline would only help Lucy. Their mother seems to be proud, and has taken to teaching them personally, rather than hiring a tutor like their father wanted.

"A clear mind and focused mentality is what makes a wizard," mother says, standing proudly with her keys outstretched and dress billowing in the wind around her, "a strong body is not possible without a strong mind – this is the downfall of many powerful wizards."

Beside her, Lucy listens raptly, nodding every so often at what their mother says. She herself is somewhat taken in by what their mother is saying. They've been at this for over an hour now, and she had learned more from the Celestial wizard than the book in the library had ever told her. Looking at her strong mother, her back straight and proud, a vibrant glean in her eyes, it's easy to forget that the warm and caring woman she knows is also one of the most powerful Celestial Wizards in the world. The mere fact that she can summon the spirits of 3 Golden Key's _at once_ while nearly on her death bed is testament of that.

"A balanced mind and balanced body is essential to a Celestial Wizard, and only then can your magic achieve its true height," Mom says, letting her magic fill the air and surround them, "but more than anything, without love and compassion your magic is utterly useless. The need to protect your friends and family is what marks a great wizard from a good wizard."

Mom smiles down at them, a determination to her form she had never seen before, and in that moment the woman looked truly beautiful, and truly happy. Her pink dress billowed around her ankles by some unknown force and the wisps of hair that escaped her bun flowed lazily around her face. Below her, a blue magic circle glowed beautifully. She felt humbled and awed.

"That's why; don't be surprised if you don't get it right away. Some people take days, other's years," she says, and the circle brightens "but if you're patient and if you're diligent…" she trailed off and flowers began to slowly erupt from the ground, "then there's nothing your magic can't do."

Lucy claps her hands happily, giggling all the while, and she can feel her face heating up at the beauty she just witnessed.

"Mom," she says, and the woman kneels before her, magic fading and circle disappearing.

"Yes Yuta?" she smiles.

"I…" she takes a breath and steadies herself, "I don't want to learn Celestial Magic."

Beside her Lucy gasps, obviously not understanding why she wouldn't want to learn such an amazing magic. Her mother says nothing, and she has a moment of fear that she is disappointed with her, but then she smiles and rubs her head comfortingly.

"That's okay," she says, "I had a feeling it wasn't something you were interested in."

She can't help but let a light blush settle on her cheeks and nods her head. Celestial magic was amazing, beautiful really, and it was something she would be delighted to learn but…it wasn't _hers._ She couldn't help but feel, deep down, that Celestial Magic was something that would always belong to Lucy and Lucy alone. It was something she loved and was passionate about, and she couldn't bring herself to intrude on such a thing.

"Is there something specific you had in mind?" Layla asks, and moves to sit properly before them. Lucy watches their interactions interestedly.

"Um…" she would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it, but even now she wasn't exactly sure _what_ magic she wanted to learn.

"I think I want to learn magic having to do with animals, but I'm not sure what," she tells her mother, and the woman hums for a moment before clapping her hands together sharply, a large smile overcoming her face.

"I know just the person!"

o.O.o

It starts like this;

She's happily eating her soup, not a care in the world, when suddenly the door to the dining hall is _blown_ off its hinges. Lucy squeaks and throws her arms up in reaction which causes her soup to fly in the air and upend on Fathers head, and the maid, who is pouring Mothers tea, screams in fear and drops the kettle which, in turn, breaks upon impact with the ebony wood table and spills scalding tea down mothers dress, _which_ causes motherto push away from the table sharply and accidently yank the table cloth to the floor, all of the food following it.

Mother winces in pain, pushes her and Lucy behind her, and raises her keys threateningly.

Through the dust caused by the sudden explosion, a woman stalks forth.

She lets her wide eyes fall on the figure, tilting her head around mother, and takes it in. The woman is…to put bluntly, beautiful. And intimidating.

Long, white bangs reaching down past her chin frame one side of her face, hiding her eye, and the back of her white-white hair is cropped closely to her scalp. The eye that she _can_ see is a narrow, pastel purple set on a narrow, slim face. The woman is tall, busty, and wears a long-sleeved traditional dark purple kimono which falls to the top of her thighs, intricate designs of sakura petals and light blue wind sewn into the silky fabric. A dark blue obi is brought vibrant by the dark red bow that rests upon it. Under the top fabric she can see is a white under-shirt which pokes out of the top of her sleeves, which hangs off of her shoulders. Her large bust is made obvious by the fact that her kimono hangs low on them, and between her breasts lays a complex tattoo of what appears to be a phoenix. Her legs are hidden by white bandages that end at her knees, and several sake bottles are loosely tied around her waist by a thin piece of rope, while a large python rests on her shoulders. In her hands a long, traditional Japanese red pipe rests, and the woman takes a long drag.

 _Cool,_ she can't help but think.

"Layla!" the woman shouts, and her voice is a husky breeze that sends shivers down her spine, "Where is my student?!"

"E-ehh?!" She shouts.

"Oh," mother sighs, and rests her hand on her chest in relief, "it's just you, Wynne…"

"What do you mean 'it's just you'?!" she shouts, wildly looking between the two of them and the chaos that is their dining hall.

Father seems to be KO'd at the moment, and the maid seems to be hysterically wiping the tea from the mess that is the table while babbling incoherently. The scattered remains of their meal litter the floor and table in a mush that looks disgusting. Lucy is poking father in the cheek while giggling. He doesn't react.

"M-mother, who is this..?" she asks hesitantly, slowly inching out from behind her.

"This is your new Teacher!" Mother beams happily, and she can do nothing more than stare in something akin to shock.

"W-what?!"

"You promised me a student Layla!" hollers the woman.

o.O.o

"First things first, brat." Her new teacher says after all of the commotion had calmed down and she had been permitted a private room to speak with her, and she immediately sits to attention at the hard note in her voice.

"Y-yes ma'am?"

"From this day forth…" she trails off, a menacing glint in her eye, and she feels a shiver go down her spine fearfully, the tension in the room _palpable_ "you shall address me as Master!"

"That's it?!"

"Now, run a hundred laps around the yard!"

"What?!"

"Now!"

"Y-yes ma'am!"

"Call me Master!"

"Yes Master…"

o.O.o

Wynne was…well to put it bluntly, she was crazy. Completely and utterly insane.

She was also smart. Completely and utterly brilliant.

The woman refused to teach her magic until her body and physical strength was up to par though. She was tiny, even for her age, and it showed. It was frustrating but she didn't mind because while the physical training was exhausting, it was also rewarding.

So while Lucy was training her magical reserves and slowly learning how to summon a Silver Key's spirit, she was running laps around the Heartfilia's gardens and increasing the flexibility of her limbs. She was naturally flexible, and Wynne seemed determined to extend that flexibility to ridiculous extremes.

"I won't teach you anything else until you can do a Yoganidrasana!"

"W-what?! No!"

"Yes! Now, get to it!"

At this rate the woman would kill her.

She had been training with her for well over several months, and the results were starting to show. Whereas before she could barely lift a box filled with miscellanies items, she could now heft a small boulder with ease. It was amazing. She felt powerful in a way she could never feel in her previous life.

However…lately she noticed something.

Her mother was acting strange, sending out letters each day, and slowly collecting keys.

Soon, it was time.

o.O.o

"Hey mom," she ask, kicking her legs out from the edge of the balcony she was perched on.

"Yes, Yuta?"

"Next month's Lucy's birthday, right?"

"Yes,"

"And, she's turning ten, right?"

"Yeees," she draws out, huffing a laugh.

"Well, you're gonna be here…right?"

"Of course I will, honey, why?" Mother asks, concerned, and she leans over to look her daughter in the face.

"Well, I've noticed you've been acting strange…and I thought, maybe you were going away…"

"Oh, Yuta, that's something you will never have to worry about," she says, pulling her youngest girl into a hug, "and if I ever do leave, just remember, that no matter what may happen I will _always_ come home."

"Promise?"

"I _promise_ I would never leave you or your sister."

Somewhere, deep inside, she has come to see Layla as her mother. In the beginning she had been scared, scared of getting close and then losing her, and now…she couldn't imagine life without her.

So, she says nothing, and leans back into her mother's embrace.

o.O.o

A week before Lucy's tenth birthday mother is called away on urgent business. When she comes back, she is weak and sickly, and she is bed-bound for days.

She passes away a day before Lucy's birthday.

o.O.o

"W-why?" Lucy sobs, holding tight to her little sisters hand as they watch their mothers casket slowly be lowered into the ground.

"Death is…" the younger says, turning her eyes to stare up at the weeping sky, "inevitable. It comes for all of us, someday, and there is nothing we can do to stop that."

Lucy sobs harder, grip holding stronger and she can see her father's head bowed in the distance.

"But, the least we can do for those who have passed on is live. Survive."

She turns her head to look up at Lucy, and the older girl hiccups, rubbing her eyes raw.

"We will remember Mother's life, and never forget. The person she was, and how much she loved us…"

By her side, a dog she had met earlier that day rests his head on her thigh.

"Remember Lucy, there can be no joy without pain."

"Y-yes..!"

A crow takes flight.

o.O.o

Life was different after that. Father was more withdrawn and cruel; his obsession with money taking over the compassion he had before. Lucy became more determined to learn how to use magic and took on her studies almost ferociously and Yuta…

Well, she trained.

Hard.

Whereas before she had run 100 laps around the gardens each day, she now ran 200, and from dawn until dusk her life was filled with push-ups, sit-ups, stretches and any form of physical exercise she could her hands on until finally, _finally_ Wynne declared her ready to learn magic.

"I'm sure Layla taught you that those who do not hone their physical strength will never achieve true power with their magic," said her Master, taking a deep drag from her pipe. Her sake bottles clinked merrily.

"What use is powerful magic, if your body cannot handle its weight?" she asks, and takes another drag, blowing it in Yuta's face, "You are young, and so I do not expect you to understand this right now…"

On her shoulders, Ningana hisses and Wynne strokes the snakes head soothingly, "but there is a time in every wizard's life where a question is asked."

"A question?" she asks, hands braced on her crossed feet.

"Yes, you brat, a question," Wynne says irritably.

"W-what question?" she asks warily, not wanting to ignite Wynne's wrath.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?!"

"What!"

"Listen here you little brat, this question is different for everyone, y'hear?!" Wynne shouts, "It's unique to everyone and each Wizard finds the answer in their own way!"

"Oh," she mutters, eyes turning downward to stare at a caterpillar slowly inching its way across the floor, "what was yours Master?"

Master is quiet for a moment, merely staring down at her with her serious light pastel eye, before opening her mouth and-

"Go run 100 laps!" she shouts before taking a large gulp from the sake bottle bound to her waist.

"E-ehh?! Why?!"

"Because I said so! And get me more sake!"

"B-but you said you'd teach me-"

"Make that 200!"

"Yes master!" she scrambles away quickly, darting past Lucy and into the gardens.

"Honestly," says Wynne, letting Ningana rub against her cheek, "what am I gonna do with that kid?"

o.O.o

After several more months of deep meditation and intense physical exercise she has her first moment of _magic._

Wynne doesn't say so, but Yuta can tell she's proud.

o.O.o

Lucy begins to rely on her more, begins to feel more protective of her, and their relationship only grows at their fathers cruelty and ignorance.

She begins to introduce Lucy to her animal friends, one by one, whom she had held possessively close to her heart. Wynne begins to ease up on her training methods, and teaches her more magical theory as each day passes. Father has a tutor come to the Estate each day to teach Lucy Celestial Magic, perhaps in honor of his late wife.

He also begins to push them harder each day, expecting more from them in regards to their studies. Yuta, in particular, he pays close attention to.

Being younger than Lucy by six years, he tries to keep rigid control of her. Lucy is strong willed, and strong minded, and will not so easily bend to his wishes; while Yuta herself seems to be colder and more indifferent. Perhaps he thinks he can marry her off one day, and make a fortune.

Her father has changed.

Wynne doesn't say anything in regards to his attitude towards the girls, but does try to keep their mind off of him.

"Go ask your sister if she wants a cup of cocoa," says her Master, pulling a red scarf around her neck. Yuta doesn't know how this will help seeing as she never changes her kimono, which bares _much_ skin.

"Yes Master!" she calls before darting through the halls to where she knows Lucy is.

And, like always, she finds Lucy sitting amongst a pile of books in the Heartfilia library, mouthing the words with barely a sigh.

"Hey Lucy-nee," she calls from the door, and Lucy looks up, pigtails bobbing with her movements, "wanna get some cocoa with Master?"

Lucy beams immediately and scrambles away from the shaky tower of books and towards her. Linking arms, they both make their way towards where Master is waiting and when she sees them she bops them both on the head for keeping her waiting.

"Should I call a maid, Master?" Yuta asks, and Lucy hides behind her, having always been intimidated by the busty woman.

"A _maid?"_ Wynne snorts derisively and heads in the direction of the kitchens, "The best cocoa is made by hand!"

Yuta and Lucy glance at each other before Lucy lets out a giggle and pulls the younger girl by her arm in the direction Wynne disappeared to, smoke from her pipe drifting about the manor lazily.

"This'll be fun!"

Outside, snow gently falls upon a horde of ravens and crows, all of which watch the house intently.

o.O.o

Many years pass like this, one, two, three, something like peace settling over the Heartfilia household, and before she knows it she's 7 years old.

Lucy can now summon Aquarius without too much strain on her magical reserves, and Yuta's own magic has grown.

She's also barely _physically_ grown, and only nearly comes up to the chest of Lucy's own 13 year old body. Which she likes to rub in a little _too_ much.

Her training has only become more intense, and her bond with Wynne has also grown. The woman continues to be downright _crazy,_ but they've somehow settled into a routine. Wynne has become something of an older sister to her, to them both, and there's something about the older woman that tells her she just _understands._

"Hey, Master?" she asks one day, Ningana curled in her lap.

"What, brat?"

"Why'd you want to take on a student?" it's something that's been bothering her for years, ever since she first heard Wynne yelling on that fateful day 3 years ago. Wynne is silent and glances at her from the corner of her eye.

"Well the truth is," she says, and Yuta leans forward in anticipation of an _actual_ straight answer, "I always liked the idea of having a little minion to do my errands for me!"

"That's the reason?!" she shouts, and a crow caws at her irritably.

"Well, you are basically my _slave."_

"The hell I am!"

Wynne snorts a laugh and takes Ningana from her, letting the snake curl around her shoulders and settle there. She stands up and begins to stalk away, letting her hand rise in a parody of a wave goodbye.

"See ya later brat," she says, and Ningana hisses before curling under Wynne's clothes.

That's the last time Yuta sees her.

o.O.o

More years pass, one, two-

And then,

"Let's run away."

They're lying in the gardens, back to back, and staring at the sky when she says it. It's a sunny day, a small cat is settled on her stomach, and, like always, she can see a raven out of the corner of her eye.

Lucy has been on edge lately. Father has been hard on her, on them both, and their roles as young Heartfilia Lady's is becoming more prominent and more confining with each passing day. And so, she says-

"Okay."

o.O.o

I hope you liked it! I had _a lot_ of fun writing it. It actually took me forever to write it – I like to let the anime/show/whatever play in the background as I write and I've made it up to episode 70 lmao.

I am also _specifically_ not giving any details on Yuta's magic. I kind of want it to be a surprise, if you will – for further down the road. Give me your thoughts! What do you think her magic will be?

No one said learning magic was easy~

Do you like her? Is there anything you _don't_ like about her?

Please, tell me!

-Dev.


	2. Wanderer

Welcome back!

It's been awhile hasn't it?

I actually have a very valid reason for my lack of updates on any of my stories. To put a long story short, my little sister was kidnapped. You don't have to worry, she's safe and sound at home now, and the man who took her has been arrested. As you can imagine it's been…really, _really_ hard lately. Especially because I'm across the country from her, which makes me feel useless and horrible. I just…had to take a step back from the computer and revaluate my life. And then my internet just went to shit for a few weeks anyway and I had to buy a new router. Yeah, life's been a real bitch lately.

Add that to the fact that both of my parents just got out of the hospital, I've been cramming and finishing my finals and am rushing to finish off the last assignments I have before school ends and you get yourself a _very_ busy Dev.

And a very tired Dev.

Sigh.

Anyway, back to the story!

Thing about this story is that I have almost _everything_ up until the current arc in the manga planned out. Not even kidding. Yuta's first character came around when I was doodling some cute girl characters. When I finished my lil doods I found that I actually _really_ liked the way she looked, and that she instantly reminded me of Lucy – and my mind just went _wild._ So many ideas popped into my head and so many different character interactions evolved until eventually I just wrote all of this up on a coffee-induced high.

Because of this, the updates for this particular story will probably be pretty far-spaced. Also, the chapters will probably be _very long_ in the future. I want to focus on my other stories to get more of a feel for them right now. My updating always tends to be sporadic anyway lmao.

Also, I have a new pole on my profile regarding on whether or not I should make a Tumblr/Twitter/Whatever where I'll answer questions regarding my stories and post updates on their progress. Check it out if you want!

Well, that's all I can think of right now.

Onto the story!

Disclaimer: kekekekekeke-

 ** _Chapter 2: Wanderer_**

Living on the road was…hard. Like, _really_ hard.

Money was almost impossible to come across seeing as not many people were willing give a nine year old a job, no matter how mature they may be. Lucy had an easier time on that front being fifteen years old, but odd jobs weren't enough to feed and provide shelter for two _growing_ people, and so the majority of their days were spent camped outside or taking shelter with whatever kind soul would grant it to them. It was harder than it sounded; it seemed trust doesn't run deep, even for children.

She wasn't expecting to run away so soon.

She didn't have enough time to prepare.

In the original timeline, Lucy had run away when she was _16 –_ they left a year too early. She couldn't help but be worried about how this would change things.

Whatever.

She just had to make sure they made it to Hargeon in two years.

o.O.o

"Please miss!" Lucy says, holding tight to her hand, "We won't be a bother, just until we reach the next town."

The woman Lucy's talking to sighs and runs her fingers through her long red hair – they've been at this for a while. Travelling in groups was much more ideal than travelling alone – especially for children. Bandits had no mercy, and it was expensive hiring a guild for protection. They had managed to find a caravan on their way to the next town, which was nearly a week away by foot, and Lucy had been begging to travel with them for hours now. The rest of the caravan was packing things away around them, and she sighed as a cat rubbed against her legs, purring happily. The caravan's leader stares down at them for a long moment, bites her lip, and pinches her nose.

"Alright kid, but you're gonna have to pull your own weight."

"We will!" Lucy promises.

Smiling down on her, Lucy beams happily.

"See Yuta, it'll be okay!"

Lucy has become more protective of her lately. The stress of running away, of hiding from police and destroying missing-persons posters, of _hoping_ and _praying_ that they'll have enough food for tonight, enough shelter…it was starting to get to her, to them both, and it was starting to show.

They've been on the road for about a month now.

They don't have a particular destination in mind. Just…aimless wandering. In a way, she hasn't been this happy in years; hasn't felt so free and like she can- she can just _do_ anything she wants. But at the same time…she misses her mom. Her master. The person her dad used to be. She misses her home.

She misses– _that_ home.

It was harder to train her magic while they were on the road as well, but they've somehow managed to get by. She tries simple exercises, focusing her magic on one area of her body and attempting to move it around while they walk. It's harder than it sounds, her magic so foreign to her soul it won't cooperate, and she has to strain on not using too much or too little of her energy.

Sighing, she pulls the small white cat up and into her arms, cuddling it against her chest as she looks around the small camp.

A bald, middle-aged man was staring at them, and she resists the urge to hide behind Lucy.

"Really, boss?" she hears him mutter quietly, just loud enough for her to hear, "we don't wanna' look after two kids, do we? We've got 'nough of our own."

"It's been decided," the redhead sighs as she begins to pack away things onto one of the larger carts, "so there's no use complaining about it."

The man tsks, sends a scowl at them, before turning to continue shoving a large cloth bag full of…something into one of the large carts. Happy chatter and laughter fills her ears and she has to struggle not to duck behind Lucy. She's never done well with people.

"Do you want to play with the other children?" Lucy asks kindly, pointing to a small boy and girl who were running around each other while performing complicated looking poses. She gives Lucy a blank stare and the other girl laughs nervously.

"Right…" she mutters and rubs the back of her head before offering tentatively, "but it might be good of you to make some friends?"

Looking up into Lucy's hopeful eyes, she sighs and tugs at the back of her hair, which is situated into a -familiar- bun. She's taken to just wearing it like that now – it was easier and it had…sentimental value. She knows Lucy is worried about her, knows she wants her to be a _normal_ nine year old, and she loves her for it, she really does, but it's just so _hard_ when she's not a child. Not really.

She can't help but wonder how Lucy is doing so well. The mansion is all she's known, expensive food, and attentive staff at her every beck and call, and now…even with Yuta's own memories of a previous, less luxurious, life she sometimes struggles with common interactions with normal everyday people. And yet Lucy is just…so natural at it. It's hard not to wonder who is _really_ the reincarnated soul here.

"Alright," she says weakly, and Lucy positively _beams._

"Right!" she claps her hands cheerfully, "Then I'm going to go get our stuff situated and get things in order!"

Nodding her head, she watches Lucy trail away from her, moving to talk with the Caravan's leader. The cat in her arms mews questioningly and she gives it a grimace.

"Let's do this then," she tells it and it gives her a solemn stare.

"What's your name anyway?" she asks as she dodges a large beam of wood aimed for her head. The carrier of said beam apologizes profusely, but she waves him off.

"Junsui..?" she hums thoughtfully, and the cat leaps up to settle on her shoulder, "that's a nice name."

She lets her fingers trail through the cat's fur and turns her gaze back on her goal. Gripping her resolve, she stalks forward, and both children's eyes drift up to focus on her. She swallows nervously.

"Hi…" she says lamely, and the girl closest to her smiles brightly, curly blonde hair bouncing from her pigtails, "my name's Yuta, do you mind if I p-play with you?" she cringes as she stutters over the word 'play' and uneagerly awaits their response. This is how kids made friends right?

"Of course!" says the girl, who was smiling at her happily, _creepily,_ before darting forward to grab her hands. The boy looks annoyed at the intrusion, crossing his arms, narrowing his eyes, and she once again smiles weakly.

"W-what are you playing anyway?" she asks quietly and the boy scoffs.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asks, and she tries not to bristle at his tone, "we're playing Guilds!"

"Guilds..?"

"Oh you've never played it before?" asks the child clinging to her hands and she nods hesitantly while subtly trying to twist her off.

"Well, it goes like this!" the girls twirls with flourish, her skirt dancing around her, and she notices that one of her front teeth is missing before the other stops and points at her dramatically, a gleam to her eye, "we're a part of the Guild, Ravenheart," she stops for a moment to show off a small mark shaped like a long black wing colored on her hand in what appears to be dark blue marker before continuing with, "and we specialize in completing jobs!"

"Ravenheart, huh?" she says and settles on the ground.

"Yep!" the other blonde plops to the ground in front of her and the boy joins them after a small, annoyed tsk.

She doesn't bother looking towards where she knew _they_ would be hiding and lets her chin settle in her hand.

"It's 'cuz Ravens are cool!"

She doesn't say anything and merely lets the overexcited blonde chatter on about how cool their Guild was, and how many missions they completed, and, oh yeah, would you like to join?

"You'll have so much fun!" the blonde promises.

She looks between them and lets out a small sigh. She moves Junsui to settle on her knees and hides her face in the cat's fur.

"Yeah, I'd like that," she says.

"Very well then!" the girl scours through her pockets in search of something, and with a sigh the boy hands her a dark blue marker. The girl takes it with flourish.

"Where would you like your Guild mark?" she asks cheerily and grins widely.

This girl…was _too_ cheerful.

"Um," she flounders for a moment before indicating the area around her neck, "here's fine…"

The girl smiles and stares at her blankly for a moment, holding the marker up in the air listlessly. The boy heaves a sigh, rolls his dark eyes, and takes it from her before settling in front of Yuta to draw on her skin.

"Sorry," the girl says bashfully and rubs the back of her head, "I really suck at drawing hehe…"

Yuta says nothing and a moment later she's lightly touching a dark blue wing curling around her collarbone.

"Now what?" she asks and lets Junsui curl on the top of her head.

"Now it's time to take a job!" the girl pumps her fist in the air and Yuta resists the urge to edge back.

"O-okay…" she mumbles and eyes the ground in front of her.

It's silent for a long, drawn out moment.

"Oh no!" the girl suddenly exclaims, "Bandits are attacking Shisuta town! We need to stop them!"

Tugging her to her feet, the girl twirls around her and the boy before marching forward.

"Are you coming?" she smiles, teeth practically gleaming, and Yuta flushes before trailing after her.

"Y-yeah..."

o.O.o

 _Once upon a time, in a land faraway, a young girl died._

 _It wasn't a particularly painful death, nor was it full of remorse or heartache. It was a simple death, a delicate death, and in death the young girl wandered._

 _The young girl wandered across the lands, traveled across the seas, glided across the skies until, eventually, Death – having been watching the girl's travels closely – came to claim her soul._

 _The young girl gazed upon the last embers of the dying sun and caressed the stars in the sky, awaiting the Death she knew would come until, eventually, she was alone no more._

 _And with a smile and a sigh the young girl looked into Death's eyes and Death-_

 _Dea-_

o.O.o

"Are you apart of the caravan?" she asks a while later, after they had saved Shisuta town, taken down their evil leader Kokona, and were settled under the incline of a shady tree. The girl looks at her questioningly, grin tugging at her lips.

"Yep!" She says happily, eyes closing from the force of her smile, and she feels vaguely uncomfortable. She notices the girl has a lisp.

"My sister and I are going to be joining the caravan until we reach the next town," she reveals quietly and lets Junsui climb onto her shoulder. The girl looks positively _ecstatic_ at the prospect, while the boy scowls and slumps into a slouch.

"That's so awesome!" she enthuses while the boy lets out a drawled, "Great…"

She opens her mouth to say something else when-

"It seems Junsui has taken a liking to you," a voice suddenly calls out to them, and they all flinch before turning to see who it was.

It was the red-haired lady who ran the caravan, and the two kids in front of her brightened immediately.

"Riko!" called the girl happily, as seemed to be her most common emotion, "are we ready to leave?"

'Riko' smiles at them and nods as the kids waste no time in getting up to dart after her. She can see Lucy talking to the bald man from earlier and lets a frown slide across her face briefly. Turning her attention to the children whose names she had never learned, she watches them run off.

"Hey," she calls out to them before they could fully leave, "I never caught your names…"

The bright-headed blonde beams before darting forward to hug her.

"My names Yuzu!" she says before reaching out and tugging the boy in their direction, and he shuffles awkwardly for a moment before offering a quiet and curt,

"Suto."

Yuzu looks at her expectantly and she lets her eyes drift to the floor as she offers out a quiet, "my name's Yuta."

"I'm sure we'll become the best of friends!" Yuzu says as she turns to dart after Riko's back.

She watches them go for a moment before noticing Lucy's attempts to wave her down. Blinking, she lets her feet guide her to her sister, and Junsui curls into her arms whilst purring deeply.

"Did you have fun?" Lucy asks her brightly, tugging a piece of hair behind her ear, and Yuta notices the sweat trailing down her face but says nothing. She reaches out and lets her hand rest lightly on Yuta's head, rubbing back and forth.

She thinks for a moment before settling on a, "Yes."

Lucy's smile widens as she pets her head rhythmically.

"I'm glad," she says, and Yuta tries not to flush.

Their dynamics have changed. Whereas before it was Yuta who did most of the 'leading', running away seems to have emboldened Lucy's confidence. Lucy was no longer afraid to take charge and say what she wanted to say, and she can't help but feel incredibly relieved about it. Maybe if Lucy is stronger…more confident in her own abilities…

"We're about to set out," Lucy says absently as she begins to tie Yuta's bag of clothing and miscellaneous items on her back more securely, "and we need to keep close the caravan while keeping a look out for bandits. These roads are dangerous."

Stopping to look Yuta deep in the eye, Lucy adopts a serious face.

"I want you to stay in my line of sight at all times, no matter what, do you understand?"

"…yes," she mumbles out and tugs Junsui closer to her.

She was honestly afraid at the idea of bandits.

While her physical abilities were definitely a bit more… _powerful,_ in comparison to her magic (which hardly cooperated on a _good_ day), she didn't think she could take on a group of bandits as she was now. That wasn't exactly something she had to deal with in her last life.

More than that though, the idea of _pain_ scared her. She had always feared pain, even back…then.

Smiling tiredly, Lucy tugs her into a hug, which Junsui allows gracefully, and pulls back with a determined face and hardened resolve.

"We'll make it through this Yuta! You'll see!"

o.O.o

Travelling on the roads was hard, but not nearly as bad as before now that they had a caravan to look after them. It was easier this way, and Yuta couldn't help but relax slightly in their presence. Having company, even in the form of two small children, to talk to (or listen to, as the case may be) wasn't that bad either.

"How long have you been with the caravan?" she asks as they steadily make their way through the dense foliage the forest provides. The sounds of talking and moving people surrounded her, and Yuzu skips in front of her cheerily while Suto trudges after them.

"For as long as I can remember," Yuzu answers thoughtfully, "I was born into the caravan after all! So was Suto though,"

The girl stops for a moment to point at the bald man from earlier, and Yuta resists the urge to scowl. He irritated her.

"That's my dad!" she says.

"W-what?" she replies blankly, looking between them in something akin to shock.

Suto nods at her sympathetically.

The other blonde _gleams_ in her happiness, and she can see the bald man begin to shout at a pair of bored looking teenagers in the distance.

"I'm not going to address that," she mumbles to herself quietly, and is careful not to accidentally step on any of the many cats that were winding and weaving themselves between her legs. It seems Junsui has a family.

"Animals really like you, huh?" asks Suto curiously.

"Yeah," she says blandly and studiously avoids looking into the trees.

The past two days were spent in something of a lull. Travelling across the forest was a tiring and tedious process, but she knew they'd soon arrive at their destination. What they'd do then she wasn't sure.

"What about you?" asks Yuzu, "why are you on the road?"

She lets her eyes drift up to the sky and simply stares at the clouds drifting their way across the blue expanse.

"It's nothing important," she says, "we're just…living. Existing."

"One day," says Yuzu, and there's something confident, and hopeful, and _melancholic_ about the way she says it, "I'm going to create my own magical Guild. And we'll the biggest and happiest family ever!"

She says nothing and watches the two children out of the corner of her eye.

"Our Guild will be the best in all of Fiore, and everyone will want to come to us for help and jobs!"

"Oh," she says, "well, I think you can do it."

The two kids stop for a moment, and Yuzu turns towards her ecstatically, hands latching onto her own.

"You really think so?" she asks hopefully.

"I think you can do anything," she answers truthfully. This girl was so full of hope and joy and…someone like her will make it far in this world.

"Maybe you can join us!" Yuzu exclaims excitedly, and she lets herself smile sadly.

"I don't think I can," she says, and cuts off Yuzu's disappointed expression with, "I think this world has something else planned for us. For my sister."

Suto looks at her questioningly but she says nothing else and the rest of the day is spent in silence. For some reason, she can't stop the sadness enveloping her heart.

o.O.o

"I'm bored…" Yuzu whines softly and Suto rolls his eyes.

"Deal with it," he says.

"But!"

"But nothing, I'm bored too y'know!" the boy suddenly lunges forward and latches onto Yuzu's hair. He seems to have become more accustomed to her presence, and hardly scowls or glares at her anymore. Hardly.

"Yuta! Help meee!" Yuzu cries as Suto pulls on one of her pigtails, "You're a bully Suto!"

"It's called corporal punishment!"

"Uwaa!"

She watches them bicker back and forth with a smile and sees Lucy's relieved expression out of the corner of her eye. She flushes and hides her face behind a gray cat named Lucky's fur.

Maybe being a kid wasn't so bad after all.

o.O.o

"Have you ever played 'hide-and-seek'?" she asks one sunny afternoon.

They were taking a brief break in a small clearing, and the sound of stomping hooves and talking people scattered throughout the leaves and enveloped her peacefully. She enjoys travelling with the caravan.

"Hide-and-seek?" Suto stumbles over the words, the English sounding strange and foreign on his tongue, and she bites back a laugh.

"It's one of my favorite games," she says, memories of playing it with Lucy in the large garden that inhabited their home darting through her mind, as well as vague images of a boy with dark hair and bright eyes. Sometimes it's hard to remember who she was.

"How do we play?" squeals Yuzu excitedly.

"The rules are simple," she says, "one person will be the 'seeker' and their job is to find all of the 'hiders'. At the beginning of the game the seeker will count to 10 while the others hide, and when all of the hiders are found the games over."

"That sounds fun!"

"…That's not too bad, I guess."

"For the first round I'll be the seeker…"

The game was an instant hit, and before they knew it all the other kids and teenagers that called the caravan home were joining in too.

She managed to pull Lucy away from her work to play with them, and watching the look of happy relief spreading across her sisters face, she feels hope begin to bloom in her heart.

Perhaps there was a way after all.

o.O.o

She isn't sure _how_ exactly she got herself into this situation.

The night had begun like any other. The caravan had come to a stop in a small clearing as the dusk had begun to set, and she and Lucy began to help with the preparations for dinner, which involves cooking and handing out food before settling in to sleep. And then…

She can't remember anything.

When she had awoken it was pitch black, her arms were straining against her back painfully and she couldn't move her legs. She was tired, sluggish, and it had taken her a long moment to process what exactly was happening.

"…are you sure…Jewels…" she could hear someone mumbling and she groaned softly in pain.

The voices hushed and she blinked blearily around the dark room. A sudden beam of light assaulted her eyes and she blinked back tears as she tried to look past the glare.

A silhouette outlined by the bright light filled her vision and she wearily winced.

"Oh, you're awake?" it asked.

"W-what happened?" she asks and cringes at the harsh sound her parched throat produced.

The silhouette laughed and kneeled before her, and dark brown hair came into her vision before moving away. Looking up and blinking against the light, she took in the features of her captor.

Brown hair and brown eyes set on a smooth and handsome face, the man looking down on her smiled and bared his teeth threateningly.

"W-who are you?" she managed to utter out, and the man laughed again.

"That's not important," he says, and his voice was smooth, soft, and something about it relaxed her muscles and eased her worries, "what _is_ important is you and your little friends here," he indicated towards the space next to her and she struggled to turn her head.

Lying across the hard floor, hands tied behind their backs and legs bound together was Yuzu and Suto.

"I don't understand," she says.

"You don't need to," he smiles before everything goes dark once more.

o.O.o

 _She dreams._

 _Darkness everywhere, not a hint of light to be seen, she gazes through it and through the edges of black and more black she sees the vague outline of trees – hundreds, thousands – surrounding her on all sides, and even deeper within she sees_ eyes. _Slit and red, ever unblinking, she can feel the magic pulsing within them, can feel the essence of life and death swirling in an untamed tempo, and she feels fear and_ understanding.

 _And then, suddenly, everything makes so much more_ sense _, a scythe is bearing down on her carrying with it the weight of two worlds, and Death looks her in the eye._

' _Do you understand now?' it asks, and she can only think-_

' _Yes, yes I do, and I'm so sorry, I'm so-'_

 _And then the world brightens and darkens, hundreds of thousands of dark birds watching her every move, and Death only answers-_

' _No, no you don't. Not yet.'_

 _And suddenly-_

 _The world ends._

o.O.o

When she awakes next it's to a painful prodding in her side and an unending rumble in her stomach. Wearily blinking her eyes open, she grimaces and looks around the dark dreary space she finds herself in. Next to her, sit two children.

"Yuta!" cries Yuzu quietly, tears in her eyes and an unhappy frown twisting her usually happy face.

"W-what happened?" she croaks out, and Suto helps her sit up.

"I don't know," he tells her quietly; frame trembling lightly with what she can only assume is fear, "we just woke up here. You were sleeping and we couldn't wake you up…"

He gives a scrutinizing look and she smiles weakly. Her body feels sore and heavy, exhaustion set deep in her bones, and the edges of a strange dream cloud her vision. Her magic feels distant and…vague…

"What do we do?" Yuzu cries softly, tears streaking down her face.

"Do you remember what happened before we got here?" she asks, taking their hint and making sure to keep her voice low.

Her head is spinning, her heart pounding heavily in her ears, and something feels familiar and yet foreign at the same time-

"After eating with papa I went to bed…" Yuzu says.

"Same," says Suto.

"Me too," she sighs.

A long moment of silence passes.

"Do you know who took us? Have you seen them?" she asks eventually, and Yuzu once more bursts into tears.

"N-no," she whimpers, "I just wanna go home…"

"It'll be okay," Suto comforts her, rubbing her back and looking at Yuta worriedly.

"It'll be fine…"

o.O.o

She isn't sure exactly how long they spend there in that dark little room. Sometimes it feels like days. Sometimes it feels like months. The only change in their strange isolation is the occasional tray of food that finds its way into their room without any of them noticing.

Yuzu was deadly silent, not a peep to be heard, and Suto often spent his time curled up next to her. She doesn't know what to do.

She feels so weak and tired, her magic a distant memory, and it takes all of her willpower to stay awake. With each passing day, moment, _hour,_ she feels like she's losing a piece of herself and she-

She's scared.

She's scared that this darkness is all she will know, scared for Yuzu and Suto who seem to be losing hope with each minute, she's scared she'll – she'll die. The thought chills her.

"Are we ever going to make it out of here..?" she hears Yuzu rasp quietly.

"Yeah," Suto replies, "yeah we will."

"Why are we…?" Yuzu cries silently, and Yuta bites back a flinch.

This wasn't fair, this wasn't _right,_ they were just _children –_ she's the adult here she can't-

She can't-

But she says nothing and so they fall into silence once more.

o.O.o

More time passes.

Food becomes a happy memory and rare occurrence. Water even more so.

She finds herself dreaming of blonde hair and warm eyes, of sunshine on red cheeks, and dark death looming in the shadows.

She was never a particularly hopeful person, she wasn't filled with determination or adhered to some greater purpose, but even so she didn't want to die _here,_ like _this._

"We can't just sit here and do nothing," she says.

Yuzu looks at her with dry eyes and a still ashen face – she doesn't say so, but she knows she is dying, out of all of them she was the weakest, the most hungry – Suto with a twisted grimace and tired eyes. Her voice was scratchy and barely there, the lack of fresh air and water having warped it into something that was near unrecognizable.

"We don't know why we're here. We don't know who took us. We know _nothing,"_ she continues, and Yuzu looks away with a small whimper, "but that's not important. None of that's important."

Suto looks so exhausted and weary, hunger wearing down his bones and fraying the edges of his mind, and Yuzu looks so lost and confused, her breath becoming shorter and raspier with each day and Yuta found herself hating the-the _things_ that brought them here – who stole them away and claimed them as their own, and she is filled with something-

Something-

 _Powerful._

For the first time she can _feel_ her magic pulsing within her – waiting untapped for her to grasp it, ever so violent and hungry, so desperate to be set _free –_ and she feels the world twisting around her, warping into darkness and more darkness; the very edges of clarity is on the horizon-

"The only thing that matters," she can hear herself say distantly, _"is going home."_

And then-

She

 _Vanishes_

o.O.o

Whoop~ Very happy for this to be done – you have no idea. I'm particularly excited about this story to be honest. Just, something about Yuta's character makes me want to _write._

Anyway, I hope to see you in the next chapter ! I'm having _a lot_ of fun writing this.

See you next time!

-Dev.


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